GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Legend of Kamui, Vol. 1

Drawn & Quarterly. Jan. 2025. 600p. tr. from Japanese by Richard Rubinger & Noriko Rubinger. ISBN 9781770467293. pap. $39.95. F
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Originally serialized in the alt-manga magazine Garo from 1964 to 1971, this title is considered a groundbreaking work of social critique and a major influence on the evolution of longform storytelling in manga and is at long last available for English-speaking audiences. (Nine more volumes are on the way.) Having grown up in total poverty on the fringes of a society that exists within a strictly enforced social hierarchy, a boy named Kamui sets out to carve out a life on his own terms as a ninja warrior. Freedom, however, has a cost; Kamui finds himself navigating a brutal, unforgiving world where trust is in short supply and survival demands constant vigilance, especially after the townsfolk who previously evinced no concern for whether Kamui should live or die become determined to hunt him down and kill him for the crime of violating the social order. Shirato’s cinematic storytelling and emotionally charged, expressive ink lines capture the ferocity of battle with uncommon dynamism and intensity, as well as producing starkly beautiful images of Edo Japan.
VERDICT A powerful and thought-provoking exploration of alienation, the nature of freedom, and the human cost of systemic inequality that is sure to resonate with modern audiences.
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